Choke for fire-crackers.



No. 634,|77. Patented Oct. 3, I899. G. LISPENARD. CHOKE FOB FIREGRACKERS.

(Application filed May 27, 1898.)

"(No Model.)

INVENTOH @0076 tdj cizcorcz A TTORNEY GEORGE LiSPENAR-D, on NEW YORK,

N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE NORDLINGER-CHARLTONFIREWVORKS COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

CHOKE FOR FlRE-CRACKERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,177, dated October3, 1899.

Application filed May 27, 189 8. Serial No. 681,915. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE LISPENARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, (Brooklyn,) in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chokesfor Fire-Crackers and the Like, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has relation to the construction of fire-crackers and otherlike detonating devices.

The object of my invention is to provide an efficient choke forfire-cracker bodies, and especially those bodies which are made out ofcomparatively soft and pulpy paper known as Chinese paper. I

Chokes in fire-cracker bodies as known to me have been found by trial tobe efficient in instances where comparatively hard and tough paper wasemployed; but it has not been found efficient where soft and pulpypaper, such as Chinese paper, has been used, the difficulty being thatthe paper is pulpy and thick and few convolutions arenecessarilyemployed in making the body. The body made of Chinese paper is incapableof resisting sufficient pressure directed in the direction of the lengthof the body to resist distortion and longitudinal compression orcomplete rupture in the formation of the choke.

My present invention therefore has for its object to form a choke toclose the bore of a body made of Chinese or other soft pulpy paper, thechoke being of such a nature that in its formation comparatively verylittle pressure is required to complete it while providing an efficientchoke to bring about the proper rupture of the body of the cracker whenexploded.

In the choke of certain fire-crackers the body is preferably made ofcomparatively thin and hard paper, necessarily involving a choke ofgreat resisting capacity in order to allow of the proper rupturing ofthe body and accompanying resistance of the choke. In the present casethe body of the cracker being more readily ruptured by the explosion itis not necessary that the choke be of such great resisting power.

In the fire-crackers second above mentioned the choke is formed in orderto get the proper .pressed convolutions.

resistance to the explosion by compressing the convolutions of the bodyof the cracker in the direction of their length to a considerabledegree, which involves the tearing away of several of the convolutionsof paper and forcing them bodily down into the bore in the direction oftheir length and disposing them in concentric folds extendingtransversely of the bore, and in order to get the proper de gree ofcompression the upper edges of the inner convolutions are moved inwardlyby the compression, which, of necessity, in order to get the bestresults, are moved to a point within the bore of the cracker lying nearor at the openings made between the convolutions by the pins or othersevering means described in the said application.

In the present case I do not avail myself of longitudinal compression ofthe interior convolutions of the body, although said convolutions are toa limited extent forced inwardly to form rudimentary convolutions, thechoke in the present case being formed jointly by a deorementalcompression of the inner convolutions in the direction of their lengthand a diagonal disposition of alternate portions of such partiallydisturbed and com- My invention will be further hereinafter pointed out,and specifically recited in the claims forming part of this application.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a planview of the firecracker body having a choke formed in accordance with mypresent invention; and Fig. 2,a longitudinal sectional elevation thereofon the plane of the line 22, the body being shown with but one choke,which suffices to illustrate my invention.

The body 1 is composed of a series of convolutions 2 of a band of paperwound upon itself, leaving a bore 3, which may be filled with anexplosive. The paper is by preference of the class previously describednamely, soft and pulpy, and consequently of considerable thickness,requiring but a few convolutions to complete the body. Thischaracteristic allows of the rupture of the paper forming the body whenexploded with comparatively little effort.

In an application filed by me on the 27th day of May, 1808, Serial No.081,914, I have described a machine whereby the choke herein describedand claimed can be formed. This machine embodies a plurality of pinshaving a sharp entrant point and inwardly-converging angular compressingsides lying in an opposite angle to the vertical side of said pins. Forthe purpose of forming this choke it is not essential that the pins beoperated by a machine, as they may be employed by hand.

In certain fire-cracker-forming machines pins also are used, but saidpins do not have the inclined sides to such marked degree as in thepresent case. In those machines also a supplemental action is given tothe machine in the shape of a plunger or ram, which, after the pins haveseparated a portion of the inner convolutions in the body, entirelyseparated said convolutions and forced them inwardly to a considerableextent, so as to compress the paper into eccentric folds or abutments.The compression of the convolutions is transverse thereof andpractically in the same degree throughout the entire length of thechoke.

In using my machine the body of the cracker is placed within a holder orretaining device, and the pins, which may eitherbe set stationary in asuitable body or fixed to a movable body, as will be seen from my saidapplication, are brought to enter the convolutions, the action of thewedge-shaped portions of the pins,which converge inwardly toward thecenter of the body, being to separate alternated orintermitted portionsof several of the interior convolutions, as at 4, and leavingundisturbed other portions of the convolutions, as at 5, these latterlying substantially in their original horizontal plane, the wedge actionof the pins carrying the convolutions slightlyinwardly, but not to amarked extent, and separating the disturbed portions of the convolutionsfrom the body. The fu1; ther action of the pins pinch the detachedportions 4 of the convolutions together at the top to a greater degreeof density than at the bottom or at the lowest point where the pinsenter, and causing said detached portions of the convolutions to inclineinwardly, the degree of compression of the detached convolutions beinggreater at the apex than at the base, they thus being decrementallycompressed. This results in a bore composed of a series ofpartly-detached convolutions,some of which lie parallel to theundetached convolutions of the body, their inner surfaces being pinchedtogether, as shown at U, and inwardly bent and compressed portions 4,and another portion still adhering to the outer convolutions, as at 5.Before proceeding to form the choke the exploding-stem 7 is placed inthe cracker and the choke formed about the stem.

In the machine before mentioned the choke was formed about a pin whichwas subsequently Withdrawn, allowing the stem to be inserted subsequentto the formation of at least one of the chokes of the body.

WVith my present invention both chokes are formed about the stern. Inthe machine above mentioned the paper employed is harder than in thepresent instance, and the pressure necessary to form the choke wouldhave compressed the paper about the stem to such a degree as tocompletely choke the stem if it was there when the choke was formed, atleast in a great many instances, rendering the resultant cracker unfitfor use.

In the present case the pressure necessary to the formation of the chokeis comparatively of such a slight degree that the choke can be formedabout the stem without any danger of the stem being choked.

Forming the choke in the above-described manner results in considerablesaving of time of manipnlation,thereby conserving expense, and it makespossible the manufacture by machine of fire-crackers in which softChinese paper is employed and avoids the necessity of forming the chokeof clay or other like means, which hitherto have been employed inconnection with this class of paper.

Having described my invention, I claim-- 1. As an article ofmanufacture, a firecracker body comprising a band of paper wound onitself to form a series of convolutions and a central bore, several ofthe interior convolutions at their ends being alternately pressedinwardly to incline toward each other and extending from the lower bentportions outwardly in a plane substantially parallel with theouterconvolu tions, and decrementally compressed in the direction oftheir length, their density increasing toward their ends, as and for thepurposes described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a firecracker body comp-rising a bandof paper wound upon itself to form a series of convolutions and acentral bore, alternate portions of the ends of several of the innerconvolutions being inclined inwardly toward each other while theintervening portions occupy a plane substantially parallel to theexterior convolutions, the inclined portions of said inner convolutionsbeing decrementally compressed from their ends inwardly, as and for thepurposes described.

Signed at the city, county, and State of New York this 26th day of May,1898.

GEORGE LISPENARD.

'Witnesses:

WM. J AGOBSEN, S. BEATRICE KUHN.

